Comfort
by MissLe
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl who were as opposite as could be. If one were hot, the other would be cold, or if one were day, the other, night. Yet still, as young people do, they found it mattered very little.


Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy.

The boy and girl were as opposite as could be. If one were hot, the other would be cold, or if one were day, the other, night. They were like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle not meant to fit at all, one could've found more likeness between a candle wick and an aardvark than between them.

Their accident of meeting was on such an ordinary day that it seemed to make the occurrence stranger than perhaps it actually was. The girl had been taking an unexpected and unannounced visit to a friend's house because it was somewhere around lunch time and she had been craving company. This was not uncommon, for the girl who seemed to have so much really had very little. She lived in a giant house with servants at her bid and had enough money to buy a small third world country. Yet, her house was an empty one and money could not by her happiness.

She also had a terrible habit of being painfully shy around others and found it difficult to make friends of any sorts. The friends she managed to make were few and loyal. But still few. Therefore, she enjoyed visiting them as often as she could.

On her way, indignant shouts were heard in a tiny alleyway that she had never noticed before on her frequent walks in the same general direction. The shouts soon became louder and clearer until she could almost get the gist of what was going on.

Although she was a curious girl, loud noises frightened her and she hated getting involved in other people's silly disputes. This time, however, her curiosity overwhelmed her regular insecurity and she slowed down her pace. Instead of the usual throwing and shouting of ridiculous insults between two people, she could only hear the voice of one angrily roaring the insults.

When she warily peered around into the alleyway, she could only see a pretty woman with ridiculously large breasts screaming at the dead end around her. She didn't appear lost, she seemed to be looking for something while screeching vile words that made the girl's ears burn and her face turn an uncomfortably bright red. Deciding it to be none of her problem, the girl walked away and continued her trek down the street.

After not even getting halfway to the closest streetlight, she had the misfortune of being the landing cushion of the body being carelessly, if not rudely, tossed out of a door. The door slammed shut and the body lying on her stomach whistled with both relief and amusement.

Only after the girl moaned in pain did the body above her swivel the head to peer at her in curiosity, as if just noticing just how fleshy the ground it had landed on was. When the girl stopped seeing stars, she noticed the person sitting on her stomach was a boy wearing flamboyantly bright clothes and an unreasonably pleasant smile.

"Hullo." The boy greeted her politely.

"Hello." She greeted back because she was raised to be civil and polite when others were to her, and even when they were not.

"Is there any reason you are laying on the side walk beneath me? Do you usually do this?" He asked and tilted his head.

"No." She frowned at him, "You l-landed on me." She replied and whimpered, for his weight was beginning to be too much for her petite frame to handle.

He blinked. "So I did. My sincerest apologies."

The boy jumped off of her and helped her up with one hand, ending with a deep, flourishing bow. He continued to stare and grin at the girl, making her fidget uncomfortably under his gaze. She continued to stare at her toes. It continued in this circle for a few minutes before an even angrier shout and crash was heard from the alleyway.

His gaze darted quickly towards it then back towards her. He gave her another friendly grin before grasping her wrist and pulling her along with him. "How about some lunch? To repay for our earlier mishap. My treat."

The girl was about to protest when his pulling became more urgent and his head darting more frequent. Instead, she asked quietly, "Where w-would you like to eat?"

He gave her a smile and wrapped his arm around her in a manner that would have been shared between two very close friends, "I suggest a very tasty diner that happens to be just around the corner. How about it?"

The girl squirmed around under his arm and remembered her earlier plan to see a friend, then looked back up at the boy. He had twinkling blue eyes (she _supposed _he had twinkling blue eyes, only one was visible from behind long, half tied back blond hair) which the girl found especially pretty. His clothes were the part that threw her off, the gaudiness seemed so _out there_. She supposed it would be considered rude to ask if he were gay.

But people to her were hard to come by, and if one had so literally fallen into her lap like that, she would've been an idiot to push it away. And an idiot, she was not. She was also a girl who believed in fate, which made her decision to agree to eat lunch with him all the more easier.

He dragged her along by the wrist some more and they did eventually arrive at a quaint twenty four hour diner that the boy assured her served the best pancakes ever. When asked if he was going to have pancakes for lunch, his reply was:

"But of course." And he shot her an incredulous look.

The girl crinkled her nose. He was strange, but had showed neither kindness _nor _unkindness to her, making her decision as to what she felt about him without an answer.

He pulled her towards a booth and finally let go of her sweating wrist. Motioning her to sit across from him, he scooted into his seat with a relaxed sigh. "Sit down." He insisted.

Quietly, she did and fiddled uncomfortably in her seat. This was…weird. She stopped fidgeting and merely stared out of the window at the grey skies that threatened to cry out at any moment. How had the weather reached such a dismal level within the time she had left her house to now? She was sure it had been quite lovely that morning.

"So, what do you want?" The boy asked and glanced up at the waitress who had appeared next to them.

The girl had never liked being put on the spot and stuttered when she answered, trying to decide quickly, "I-I…um…a g-grilled cheese sandwich, p-please." She whispered and sunk low into the booth.

The boy grinned at the pretty waitress, "That will be all."

A question suddenly popped into the girl's head that she was surprised had not earlier. Folding her hands into her lap, she asked the boy politely, "What's your name? You've yet to tell me."

He made a face and crossed his arms across his chest, "Name's are such…_inconsequential_ things." He waved his arm vaguely, "You can just call me 'blondie', or 'that guy', or 'incredible artist', or even 'hey, you!'" He grinned at her, "I think I will call you…kitten, because you remind me of one." Leaning across the table, he pinched her cheek, "You're adorable just like one."

She wrinkled her nose and blushed. He really was quite strange.

He laughed, "See? The way you wrinkle your nose like that you look like a kitten!" He sat back down in his seat and giggled some more.

"You're…strange." She whispered and tilted her head at the near hysterical boy in front of her.

"Et tu, ma petite chat?" He asked, clutching his chest dramatically, "You wound me."

She gave a small smile to him and blushed, "But not in a bad way, I don't think."

He leaned across the table and pinched her cheeks again; gushing like an aunt over her young nephew who had grown so much since she had last seen him, "My little kitten! You're so cute! I could just take you home with me."

The girl blushed. He seemed like a kind boy, one whose intentions seemed unclear, but not unkind. It was strange to be able to feel comfortable around this new person (comfortable meaning she had yet to faint of discomfort and embarrassment), but it was far from being a feeling she wanted to abandon. She wanted to always be able to feel this way around new people; it was something she wanted to hold onto.

"Why were you thrown out of that house?" The girl asked quietly, not wanting the conversation to slow to a stop like a car driving through deep mud and seem boring. Which, she knew, she was. He didn't have to know that though.

He shrugged and smothered the rest of his pancakes in a sickening amount of syrup that the girl was sure to give him a stomach ache later. Picking apart the drowned pancake, he suddenly grinned at her, "I'm a thief. I stole something from them."

Her eyes widened. This was not something a proper girl did; sit and eat lunch with a thief. Thieves were _bad_, they took things that didn't belong to them and were essentially liars. Her heart clenched uncomfortably…what if he was only eating with her because he knew that she lived in the biggest house in town?

It was a long silence before the boy finally realized that she was staring at him with a mixture akin to horror and pain. Waving his hands frantically, he shook his head vigorously, "No! I'm not that type of thief! I don't steal for _money_," He made a face at this. "I'm an _art _thief. I only steal art. The good types." He sniffed, "Money is a material and trivial matter. Art," His eyes glistened as he said this. "Art is _soul_."

The girl stuffed a large piece of grilled cheese sandwich (that honestly, was just too big for her petite mouth to probably handle) into her mouth to avoid screaming and various other undignified acts not to be done in public. The reason as to why she was so riled up was unknown to her, what she should be doing is standing up and leaving the diner right away. But oddly enough, the thought never occurred to her once during her panic.

He continued talking and waving his fork around angrily, "Those people didn't even deserve that piece of art! It was so…_underappreciated_." He speared a soggy piece of pancake viciously, "Do you know what the worst sin of all is?" He threw down his fork violently and glared at the girl who was biting back tears of fear and scrambling in her seat for her purse so she could run away.

"_Do you_?" He hissed and picked up the fork again menacingly. Oh, Lord. She was dining with a psycho.

"_Beautiful artwork that is underappreciated_!" He shouted and threw up his plate in his passion, seething down at her. She could only stare horrified at the shattered remains of the plate.

"I think…I think I should go now." She whispered and gathered up her purse after placing down a bill that would give the waitress a more than generous tip to top the meal that the girl was sorry she had come to.

Once she had gotten out of the restaurant and rounded several corners, she slid down onto the ground from the alley wall she had leaned herself against. She had been so hopeful that he could be a friend. There was nothing she wouldn't do for many, many good friends that made her comfortable like he did before he had gone berserk.

Sighing and shaking away all thoughts that were dragging her down, she sat up and walked to the bus stop that would take her home.

---

She stood by her sister and nodded hollowly at the guests who walked past airily, giving them stuck-up looks down their upturned noses. Inside, the girl was dying, wanting nothing more than to curl up in her large, comforting bed with a good book. She was suffocating underneath the makeup and slinky dress she was shoved into without any choice. Her sister wasn't looking any better.

"I'll be back with a drink, alright?" She whispered to her younger sister quietly.

The twelve year old nodded stiffly and gave her practiced and perfected fake smile back at an old man who seemed far too interested with her. How disgusting.

She reached the drink table and mused over what to take. There was some wine (obviously), some champagne (obviously) and some more assortment of alcohol (_obviously_) scattered across the clothed table. Scrunching her face up, she glided over to the bar and waited for the bartender to finally notice her.

"Hello, there. What might I satiate you with tonight?" He grinned at her, his lustful smile showing at the peaks.

The girl inwardly groaned and cowered. She despised these events so much. _So_ much.

"Um...I was just wondering i-if you guys served apple juice too…" The girl asked and coughed uncomfortably.

"Are you sure I can't interest you in any alcohol?" His grin widened and he leaned across the counter.

"Yes. I-I'd really just like two apple juices, please." This man obviously did not know she was the host's daughter.

"Because we have some excellent gin and tonics…and I recommend a _Screaming Orgasm_."

Her mouth opened in a disgusted 'o'. That was _not_ just said.

The girl stiffened when she felt large hands gently grasp her bare arms from behind and run them up and down in a manner that she felt it was inappropriate to feel so _good_. A head nuzzled the section of skin where her neck met her shoulder and a voice that felt vaguely familiar murmured, "Hey, baby. Sorry you had to wait so long."

The girl attempted turning her head to glimpse who was invading her _personal privacy_, but found it impossible when in the position they were in. Only when she heard the purr against her neck, "Hey there, kitten dearest." did she feel her heart stop and her breath quicken beyond what she was sure was healthy.

The boy finally retracted his head from her neck, but slid his hands down to her waist, resting them there. "So, how are you, babe?" He rubbed his cheek against her hair and asked in a husky voice that made the girl shiver.

"Who the hell are you?" The bartender barked at him and glared.

The boy stared back equally and moved into a position that the girl could finally see him. He looked…he looked stunning. His hair was pulled back into his normal half ponytail and his blue eye was just as twinkling as she had seen before, but his clothes were so _normal_ and fitting. Admittedly, she could feel her heart jump an extra beat.

"I," He began smoothly and tightened his grip around her waist so she was right against his back, "Am her boyfriend. And I believe my girlfriend would like two apple juices."

The girl was stunned into absolute silence when he pressed a kiss against her cheek, then neck, both of which mentioned parts of her body turned a bright red. She would've collapsed had he not been holding onto her.

Snarling, the bartender complied and slammed the two requested drinks on the counter, "Who the hell asks for a sissy drink like _apple _juice, anyways?"

The boy merely smirked at the clearly enraged bartender and handed the stunned silent girl the two glasses before steering her in the direction where she had come. She could not, _would _not, believe this was happening. How was he here? Suddenly, the psychotic behaviour the boy had exhibited earlier was remembered and the girl felt herself struggling in his light hold.

"I…I have to get back to my little sister." She insisted and spun away from his grasp, looking towards her little sister who was chatting animatedly with the grandson of the town's mayor.

The boy frowned and closed in a step, "Kitten, I'd really like to talk about what happened in the diner, please?" He was begging as he asked this, taking another step so he was close enough to wrap his arms around her.

"I…um…" It was hard for the girl to function and spit out proper sentences with him so close. She was never so keen on people in her space. Ever. "My sister!" She managed to blurt out and point.

The boy glanced up at her little sister and patted her head like he would a dog, "I'm sure your sister is in capable hands. That is, after all, the town's mayor's grandson." With that, he put down one of the glasses and tugged her along a quiet and deserted hallway.

Once they were a distance away, he offered her back the juice with a grin. "Here's your juice."

She mumbled a thank you and took a small sip, feeling more than awkward.

"You look incredibly fetching tonight." He grinned at her and pushed back her bangs in an awkward angle, "Red is a good colour on you."

"You too." She whispered back from behind her glass.

"But I'm not wearing any red."

"I mean…" She fumbled with her half full glass and words clumsily, "You…look very good tonight too."

His grin went wider and he squealed, his hands holding her face, "My little kitty! You are the most adorable thing I have ever had the fortune of meeting." He might have hugged her had she not taken another wary step back.

"L-listen," She began, "I don't think I should--"

"Kitten," He pleaded, but stayed where he was, "I'm _sorry _about what happened in the diner. _Really_. I promise that it will never happen again. I just get so…passionate about art, it's my life."

The girl frowned. "You shouldn't have done what you did."

"I _know_. I'm apologizing for--"

"I mean at the bar." She blushed and rubbed her arm consciously, "People saw that."

"That guy would've kept hitting on you if I didn't."

"But my father!" She cried, "My father would see, and that…that would be bad." No. That would be terrible. Catastrophic. End of the world calamity.

"You came here with your father?" He asked and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Stop avoiding this!" She cried and clutched at her dress in frustration, "You shouldn't be here." In the dim lights she could just make out his face contort into something close to anguish. Quickly rephrasing her sentence, she started again, "I mean, here. In this corridor. If you're invited and you come, that's none of my business." She began rubbing her arm again, "I shouldn't be here either."

"Well, if you really feel that way…" He gripped her hand that was rubbing her arm and kissed her knuckles, "Then as a gentleman, I bid thee adieu."

The girl blushed again and gently yanked her hand out of his grasp. Was he always so 'gentlemanly'? "Thank you for…helping me out earlier." She muttered.

Backing away, she gave him a quick nod and hurried away, not daring to look back at his amused face.

---

She was mad. She was _so _angry. No. _Pissed_. She was _pissed_.

Yes. The shy, meek girl was so angry she was resorting to use the word _pissed_, because she was so very much. Her steps were no longer 'steps' but stomps and her usually timid gait was now a full on _storm_.

Marching and storming into the small diner, she looked around and glared at everyone who dared to glance at her. Oh, her anger was reaching record heights right about then.

Finally, the girl spotted him sitting in the same booth they had dined in as before, jovially eating his pancakes. Snarling, she strode over, hunched and fists clenched. She sat down across from him and pulled a large, painful grin across her face.

"Hello."

He looked up. "Hello, kitten! How are you?" He grinned and held out a piece of pancake that was impaled across his fork pathetically.

She ignored the offered food and felt her eyes narrow. "You…you--_What is your problem_?" She roared and slammed her fists down onto the table, unable to retain her previous smile.

He blinked slowly, then a lazily grin was spread across his face, "Well now, showing our claws now, Kitten?"

She spluttered then clenched her fists tighter, "Shut up!"

A serious look finally passed across his face and he leaned over, resting his head on his palm, "Now tell me, what did I do?"

"You--you--!" She found it difficult to say anything in her rage. Calming herself down, she looked at him squarely in the eye, "You _took _our paintings. You _stole _them."

"Moi?" The boy feigned a hurt and innocent look, "I was a mere bystander to this…_crime_." He said dryly.

The girl gave a strangled scream and clutched at her hair, "You stole them! Admit it!"

"What will you do if I do?" He asked with a disgustingly full mouth.

"I can't believe you…! Why did you do that to me?" Tears were in her eyes and she angrily swiped them away, "Did you approach me yesterday just to make me less suspicious of you last night at dinner? You weren't even on the guest list, were you?"

The boy's gaze softened and he put down the fork, "Of course not. Do you think I asked to be thrown on you just as you walked by? I hadn't known that was going to happen. I didn't even know you lived there until _now_. I was meaning to…hit up your house for a long time."

"I hate you." She murmured into her sleeve that she was using to wipe her tears away with and hide her face into.

"I'm really sorry…if it means so much to you…" A pained look crossed his face, like a mother faced with a choice to part from her baby, "I'll return them."

"I could care less about the stupid paintings!" She hissed, "_But you stole from me_." She wiped away more tears, determined that they would be the last.

"Aw…Kitten…" The boy leaned across the table and gently gripped her hand in both of his, "I'm so sorry. I didn't meant to make you so sad, I'm serious when I say that I did not want to hurt you…or use you." He patted it comfortingly, "I promise not to steal anything else from you. Want a pancake?"

"No."

"What do you want then?"

The girl thought about this. She wasn't sure what exactly she wanted, at least, from him. She told him this and frowned when he laughed.

"Then…let's go do something then, okay?" He pushed away his half eaten plate of pancakes and stood up.

She looked at him, his brightness and life, and left with him.

---

Over the course of several weeks that soon turned into months, the boy and girl became inseparable. The girl now had a best friend; the best friend she had always wanted.

Often, one of their many excursions was to the mall, shopping for the both of them.

"Kitten!" The boy called, beckoning her towards a rack of insanely expensive looking clothes.

She did not even give it a full glance before outright shaking her head. "No."

"But it's so nice!" The boy whined and waved a shirt in her face.

She reluctantly spared it a look and nodded. "It is. It's a very nice shirt…but I'm here looking for a present for my _sister_, and I can't afford this with the little budget I have."

The boy harrumphed and crossed his arms, nodding his head in the direction of the scarves. The girl chuckled and picked out a scarf while the boy leaned against a wall and frowned, staring at the check out aisle.

"I think…I think I'll get her this." She showed him a scarf with tassels and sparkles that the boy could not help but think would also look very nice on her. "Okay? S-so I'll just…pay now."

He nodded and continued to loiter around until the girl was finished at the checkout aisle.

The girl later reprimanded and scolded her friend with displeased and exasperated words when he later presented her with the same shirt she had eyed before.

But she couldn't help but let the pleased grin of gratitude and delight slip onto her face either.

---

"Um…what can I call you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Y-you call me kitten…but I have nothing to call you."

"I told you to call me Greatest Artist In Existence."

"But that's such a _mouthful_."

"…"

"Hello?"

"I'm thinking of something else, if you're so opposed to _Greatest Artist in the Existence of the Entire Universe_."

"I'm not _really_, it's just--"

"Don't call me anything, then."

"Wh-what?"

He turned around and grinned at her, wriggling his eyebrows playfully. "It just adds to the mystery and appeal, doesn't it?"

She answered with a laugh and a playful smack to his shoulder.

--

The boy tapped his foot and crossed his arms. Tired of that position, he uncrossed them and put a hand on his hip. He continued to fidget like this until he spotted the familiar head of hair and waved his arm exuberantly until he noticed the state of mess the head was in and slowly lowered his arm.

He waited until the girl came up to him, feet shuffling and nose sniffling to throw his arms around her. He asked her what had happened, a question that went unanswered except for more sniffling and shaking. The boy suddenly detached her from himself and held her away at arms length.

The little makeup that she wore around her red rimmed eyes was smudged, her hair was ruffled (a feature that the boy was unsure whether was his fault or not), there was a droop to her shoulders, and scrapes along her palms and knees. All in all, the shape that she was in was not very good.

There was a swell of anger and rise of testosterone in the boy as he asked again, his voice not as steady as it had been before. The girl wiped away the tears that were in her eyes and began to explain.

"I-I had just finished h-home economics…I-I had some c-cookies to bring home for my--my sister." She sniffled again and the boy was compelled to give her another hug that the girl returned this time. "A-and…th-this boy, he's never been very n-nice to me. He wanted some. I-I told him that they were for my sister…and he tried t-to grab them. He tr-tripped me, then stomped on my cookies b-before leaving." By now she had broken down into sobs and wails that were attracting stares from passer bys.

The boy demanded to know who would commit such atrocious acts to such a kind girl and shook her by the shoulders. The girl gave up no answer and refused to tell, to his infuriation. Finally, he gave up and guided her into the theatre where he surprised and terrified her by shoving her into the direction of the theatre that was showing the latest slasher film.

He didn't believe that a romantic comedy would make her smile at this moment.

He didn't think that a cry worthy movie would be the best choice at all.

He didn't think that a cartoon would be able to ease her mind from her worries.

He wanted her fears (if having them were to be absolutely necessary) to be of the fictional type and for her not to have to deal with the terrors of real life.

For that reason, he would laugh at the screams she would issue before delving her face into the crook of his neck.

--

The girl rested her head in her palm and stared out of the window, determined not to set eyes on the boy who was entering the class. No eye contact. No eye contact. No eye contact. Remember the scrapes and bruises on her knees. Remember the cookies. No eye contact. No eye contact.

She repeated that mantra in her head until she heard the teacher cry out in shock at the state he was in. Venturing a look, a smile was unable to stop from creeping onto her face as she saw the broken arm, the bruised eye, the split lip, and the scratches all along his body.

She had never felt such gratitude to a human being ever before in her life.

---

"I'm failing two of my classes."

The boy did not turn away from the pinball game that he was intensely pulling at knobs and smacking when a play did not go the way he wanted as he asked, "So? It's one of those stupid classes, right? Like, physics or history. Things you don't _actually _need in real life." He was by now attracting a great many stares from his enthusiasm and outrageously colourful clothes. Even the girl couldn't help but think the frills were a little too much.

"Y-yes."

"Well, you don't even need those in the real world. Who needs to know that Marie Antoinette told people to 'eat cake?' I sure as hell could care less." He pressed the flipper that sent the ball flying into several dials on the machine that lit up and made loud, happy noises. The boy pumped his fist in the air and hissed, "_Yes_!"

There was silence from the girl for a moment until she whispered, "I…I can't hang out with you anymore…"

The boy slowly turned his head towards her, his blue eyes turning wide and round. He didn't even flinch as the ball came rolling down the centre of the machine and down the hole, sending the machine into a myriad of flashing lights and words.

"Why?" He asked, the game of pinball forgotten.

"B-because my father…" She looked down at her feet that were rubbing the floor beneath her uncomfortably. "He…he said that I couldn't l-leave the house as punishment and spend that time t-to study instead of wasting my time God knows where." There were tears in the corner of her eyes as she said this.

The boy took her shoulders and shook them almost desperately. "Don't bother about what he says! Children are meant to disregard the rules parents set for them! It's an unwritten commandment!"

The girl shook her head vigorously. "I-if I do that…he'll kick me out."

The boy stopped his shaking and stared at her with anguished eyes. As much as he wanted his best friend to stay, he couldn't ask her to leave the home she lived and grew up in. So instead of admonishing her more, he wrapped his arms around her in a large bear hug and buried his head into her hair. The girl did the same and held back the tears that were begging to be spilt.

The boy let go of her and gave her a weak smile, "We'll see each other after your sentence, okay?"

The girl knew that this would not be the case. Her father would lock her up until she was capable of moving out on the house on her own, and even then would not be easy. But she didn't say this and instead gave him a wavering smile before he waved at her with a large grin and bid her a good bye.

"I'll see you later!"

Once he had turned the corner, the girl crouched down and burst into tears.

---

The history textbook that lay out before her were merely a jumble of words and few pictures sewn together to become one from behind her dulled senses and tears. She had been sitting in the same position in front of her textbooks and makeup assignments her father had so dutifully bribed the teachers into letting her do to raise her mark for hours now.

She did not think it was possible to hate a father as much as she did now. Nonetheless, she tore out a piece of lined paper to begin jotting down notes that would help her write her essay on the French revolution.

Before long, the sound of a door bell echoed through her silent room. The girl gave a slight jump and peered down at her cell phone that read across the screen, "One new text message."

Knitting her eyebrows together, she wondered who would be sending her a text message. The very few friends she had either did not own a cell phone or did not know she herself did. Frowning, she flipped open the phone and pursed her lips in confusion at the message.

***ping, ping, ping***

Hesitantly, the girl began to type back a quick message.

**Who r u? What is ur message supposed 2 mean?**

Almost as soon as the message was sent, a new one arrived in her inbox.

**Im throwing rocks at ur window. Open up!**

The girl turned her head to her window warily, but let her curiosity get the best of her and crept towards it. With much difficulty (it was hardly considered easy to open a window that had not been opened in over three years), the girl thrust the window up and leaned over the sill to peer into an empty yard.

Without warning, a person leapt from the bush with a loud scream, causing the girl to issue an even louder one in turn. Said person burst in laughter and leaned against the window sill wheezing for air. "Oh, kitten, I do believe that was worth hiding in a prickle bush for about ten minutes for you to come out."

The girl looked down at the boy and frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I have come to assist the fair maiden." He got down on a knee and bent his head of long blonde hair low to the ground with a graceful sweep of his arm.

"I-I'm in my pyjamas!" She cried and consciously tugged up the collar of the large t-shirt that served as sleepwear.

He looked up and brushed off his knees as he stood up straight. "So you are." He lightly pulled at her pony tailed hair. "But we're not going to be doing anything…_naughty _anyways. Are we?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively and rested his elbows on her window sill so his head only needed to be tilted slightly to have his lips touch her chin.

The girl recoiled and blushed a furious red that got the boy onto another round howling laughter. "J-just kidding." He wheezed and patted her arm comfortingly.

"Y-you should b-be glad my father's not home." The girl hissed and crossed her arms.

"Hm, yes indeed. I was surprised at how easy getting this far was."

She shot him another glare before sighing in defeat. "Well, come in. I can't keep this window open for long. My sister's going to wonder why the entire ground floor suddenly got so cold."

He grinned before leaping in with surprising grace and closing the window behind him. "I thought you'd never ask."

---

The girl sighed and pulled up her strapless dress that was attracting far too many stares and leers for her liking. This was the last time she let her aunt decide what she would be wearing in public, regardless of how many threats she would get to force her into confinement for a week.

In retrospect, the prospect of being locked in her room for a week was not much different than how she stayed almost all of her time in it anyways.

Her sister had gone off with the mayor's grandson again like she did now at every party, leaving the girl by herself in a corner to fend for herself. Already, she was forced to hide behind several coat racks, people, and even at one point beneath a table to avoid the young (and occasionally) old men she would see merely coming in her general direction. Perhaps she was overreacting, but she no longer trusted any member (save for one) of the opposite sex to come near her after her last fiasco with the bartender.

"Happy New Year." A voice whispered softly against her earlobe. The girl was just about ready to sprint off again until she felt the ill disguised chuckles vibrate across the side of her neck where a head was resting.

"_You_." She spun around to face the laughing face of the boy who was twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Your hair looks quite lovely when curled." He grinned and twirled one of his own long strands of blond around in an incredibly gay manner. "Do you think I could pull it off?"

She laughed and replied, "Sure. Why not?" She gave him a once over and felt a foreign feeling wrap itself around her heart. He was yet again dressed in an incredibly expensive suit that seemed to suck in all of the dark around him and made his steps seem like misplaced shadows. His hair was pulled back into a low full ponytail that gave him the look of someone much older.

"G-good--you--really." She coughed and began again, "You look really good. Why don't you wear this sort of stuff o-often?"

He gripped the collar of his shirt and shrugged. "I dunno if I pull it off as well my other stuff. It's not really me, you know?"

She did. As flattering as the clothes he wore now were, she knew that his bright personality could not bear to be cooped up in such dark and normal clothes. Instead of saying this, she gave him a grin. "Why you--I mean, why are you h-here? Come to steal another painting, have you?" She asked quickly in order to distract her from the feeling that was niggling its way into her coherent speech.

He laughed again. "Naw, not today. Just came to wish you a Happy New Year since, you know, I didn't get to see you since the day before Christmas Eve."

Ah. Yes. Christmas was the biggest event (other than perhaps the New Year party that was currently going on) that Hinata's father held and required her utmost attention to prepare for and was forced every year on pain of death to attend. She remembered one year when she had broken a leg and was _still _forced to roll around their home in a wheelchair (because crutches were _so _ungainly) and mingle. She was devastated when she was unable to leave the house at all even after the Christmas party from recuperating and planning for the New Year one too.

She gave him an unsteady smile and said softly, "Sorry." Her smile brightened and she gripped his hand excitedly. "I got you a Christmas present though!"

He grinned at her and wrapped his arm around her. "Then let's be off to find that present. God forbid I have to wait anymore for it."

She giggled and led him upstairs towards the den that her father had proclaimed to be strictly prohibited by guests, not wanting to find two naked teenagers on his lounging chair like he did last year. Opening the door, she led him towards the couch and sat him down before turning around to grab his present.

"You look really good, Kitten." He stopped her by gripping her wrists and said earnestly. "Really."

She blushed under the gaze of his that seemed so much more observant than usual. It wandered across her face, down her neck and across her body with painstaking slowness. His fingers scuttled from her wrists to her lower arms and lightly across her waist. "Red really is a good colour on you."

She twisted away suddenly to find her present and hide her red face while laughing somewhat breathlessly. "So you've s-said." Grabbing a parcel from behind her father's desk, she scurried back to the boy who was leaning back languidly against the couch and staring at the floor with a crease between his eyes.

"Merry belated Christmas." She gave the wrapped present to him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "It's also k-kind of a thank you g-gift for tutoring me"

He took the present and examined it carefully. "You know I told you it was my pleasure." He looked back up at her with those almost fluorescent blue eyes. "So has he let you go from your sentence after raising your mark yet?"

She sat next to him and watched as he began unwrapping his gift, shaking her head. "No. H-he still doesn't trust me." She snorted.

There was a moment of silence as the boy ran his fingers across his opened present. It was a painting, one not much different at all from the ones he had stolen from the girl previously, one that was both vibrant in colour but busy in an almost loud way. She thought that it suited him remarkably well.

"D-do you like it?" She asked tentatively and leaned closer to try and decipher his expression.

Strong arms threw themselves around her and held her fast against the boy. "It's great. Beyond great. Incredibly thoughtful of you."

She wrapped her arms around him and let her head fall against his neck. "Merry Christmas."

He slowly let go and stood up with the painting under one arm. "Come onto the roof with me."

The girl blinked. "The roof?"

He beckoned her to the window and beckoned to her with a wave of his arm. "Yeah, come on." With that, he disappeared out of the window.

Uneasily, the girl looked down at her stiletto-ed feet and peered out of the window and up at the boy who was holding his arm out for her to grab. "I'll help you." He flicked his wrist in anticipation.

Tentatively, the girl accepted his offered hand and climbed unsteadily out onto the ledge of the roof. "A-are you sure?"

He grinned confidently at her and pulled her forward until she was on a safe ledge that was wide enough for the both of them to sit down on and see the entire length of her estate from. "I've never been o-on my roof before…"

"First time for everything, eh?"

She nodded and shivered under the sudden blast of chilly air that blew across her. Warm arms wrapped themselves around her and enveloped her with warmth. "I guess I should've thought about bringing a jacket…" The boy mused and rested his chin against the top of her head. "But, I suppose I'm not going to complain." He teased and held onto her tighter.

For some reason, the girl felt that she would not either.

"Why are we up here?" She asked finally against his shoulder where her head was resting.

"For your Christmas present…though I suppose it would be your New Year's one now." He said simply.

Before the girl could question what he meant, the sounds of chanting grew loud from within the house.

"_FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…_

_**ONE!**_"

Fireworks exploded in a multitude of breathtaking colours and patterns across the glittering sky. The girl held onto the boy tightly and whispered, "You did these?"

"Indeed." There was a proud streak in his voice that made the girl laugh and push her face into the crook of his neck.

"Have you ever kissed anyone in the cheesy romantic scene with fireworks?" The boy asked suddenly, his voice low and rumbling against her cheek.

The girl froze. This…this was some sort of joke. It had to be. Yet, his head seemed to be coming closer as he pressed his cold lips against her cheek. The girl couldn't move as those lips lingered for second too long and sent a shiver down her back from what she hoped was only from the cold of his lips.

"Happy New Year, Kitten." He said cheerfully and let her go to gently lead her back towards the window.

She had never really liked jokes.

---

"Wh-what are you _wearing_?" The girl gasped as the boy crawled into her room through the window, a routine that had developed on the days her father was not at home.

He stood up gracefully and brushed any dirt that may have gotten onto himself onto her floor before holding his arms out wide and grinning, "What? You don't like it?"

It was a black t-shirt with some obscure band name printed across it in bright, barely legible neon orange letters. Below the t-shirt was a pair of well fitting jeans and a pair of mismatching Converse that seemed to be missing the laces. It was normal (almost). It was almost bland to what he usually wore.

It was _attractive_.

The girl turned around suddenly to hide the deep blush that suddenly masked her face as she waved a flustered hand towards the TV in her room. "Wh-what are we watching?"

She didn't even hear his answer as she nodded in response and tried to level her heart beat that was for some reason out of control. Sitting down on her bed, she curled into a ball and waited for the boy to sit next to her.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you never to let a boy onto your bed?" He teased as he lied back stretched luxuriously, snuggling his face into her stomach.

"No. But my father did." She gave a small smile before pushing away the bangs that were constantly falling across his one blue eye.

"Reb_el_." The boy snorted and sat back up suddenly as the television screen began to show the beginning credits. "You didn't listen to a word I had said before, did you?"

"Wh-what?" The girl looked around the room uncomfortably and pulled at a strand of her hair.

The boy laughed and wrapped his arms around her before pulling her down beneath him. "I said that we were going to watch my all time favourite movie, and you just _nodded_."

She looked up at him with perplexed eyes before horror dawned across her face, "_No_! The scary one with the guy who gets each limb blown off before his head all while his poor girlfriend's being forced to watched?"

"The same." He grinned cheekily.

"No! You promised I wouldn't have to watch it ever again!" The girl pleaded and squirmed beneath him futilely. "I couldn't go to sleep by myself in the dark for weeks after you made me watch it before!" She finally pressed her face against his chest and gave a frustrated and muted scream. A girl like her should _not _have to be subjected to these things!

"Aw, kitten," The boy played with a long strand of her hair and held her tighter, "Please? You can just hide your head in my shoulder the whole time and I'll cover your ears or something. I'll even stay until you fall asleep if you need, okay?"

She merely looked at his shoulder miserably and began to play with the black fabric of his t-shirt. The boy decided a change of subject should be in order and chuckled, "You really don't like this new look on me, do you? And I did it just for you." The boy pulled a fake expression of hurt across his face that did not hide his smile as nicely as he thought it did.

"Of course that's n-not the case." She frowned and looked up at his angular face. "I just…just… I'm not u-used to it. It actually makes you l-look…l-look…" A blush fell across her face heavily before she turned her head to face the screen that showed the beginning of the movie.

"Look what?" He asked persistently and began lightly running his fingers across her ribs to coax the hysterical laughter from the girl. "What do I look like?"

"St-stop!" She shrieked, "Pl-please! My sister w-will hear!"

"Your sister's at a friend's house sleeping over, remember? Now, tell me what I look like." He raised an eyebrow in a rakish manner. "You know I have no mercy."

"F-fine!" She gasped through the tears drawn from her laughter. She turned her head to the spot on her shoulder where she decided to pick at the fabric again and murmured quietly, "You look…more--more manly than I've ever seen you look before. You look…at-attractive…" She let the last word die out, hoping that he didn't hear it.

Suddenly his head swooped down to nuzzle his cheek against hers while laughter rumbled through his chest and vibrated through her. "You're so cute, Kitten."

She squirmed again in his hold that was suffocating her until he let go and merely rested his entire weight on his hands while staring down at her with a grin. "But because I dressed up for _you_, you better dress up for me in something _I've _never seen you in before, okay?"

"What? _Why_?" She rolled out from underneath him and curled back up into her ball beside him.

"Because I _said _so."

---

"What are you _wearing_?" The boy demanded, his eyes running across her form and widening to sizes that the girl did not think possible.

The girl blushed and crossed her arms protectively against her chest. "W-well, you s-said you wanted me to dress up in something y-you've never seen before, and, um, y-you've never seen me in this, have y-you?"

"But _what _is it?" He asked as he circled her, his eyes not leaving her body once.

"St-stop it," She chastised and sat down on her bed. "It's b-bad enough that I have to wear this, let alone you ogling my every move!"

"Sorry." He said guiltily and snapped his gaze back up to her face that was a bright pink as she stared at the dresser next to her, "But I didn't think you'd actually do it. Let alone wear something like…like this! What _is _it?"

"I-it's my sister's old Catwoman Halloween costume. I-it's a little tight, I'll admit." A lot tight. As in, the girl could barely _breathe _it was so tight. Spandex, leather, and, well, more spandex was what the costume was made of. It was scandalous, it was on the verge of kinky, and it was inappropriate for the public eyes of any male species.

Which was why the girl was wearing it now as something she would _never _usually wear.

(And consequently, the reason why her father had forbidden her sister from wearing it as a costume on Halloween. She ended up being a pumpkin.)

Also the fact it had the adorable cat ears that came with costume and protruded from the girl's head of dark hair was why she chose it. It was actually how she had thought of it, because of the boy's new pet name for her, "Kitten." She fidgeted on her spot on the bed waiting for the boy to finally say something.

He finally knelt down in front of her and took her hands into his seriously. "Promise me two things, please, Kitten?"

"Uh, o-okay?"

"One: next time we see each other you _will _wear those ears. I think I will go crazy if you do not." He looked at her earnestly before flickering his gaze to the fake ears almost longingly. "They make your cuteness factor skyrocket past what I thought was possible."

"And two: Never, ever, _ever _let another guy see you in that. Please. I don't want my little kitten constantly being sexually harassed by the millions of males that would no doubt be turned on by it by a disgusting amount."

"A-are you?" As soon as the quiet words came fumbling out, the girl wished that she could snatch them up and eat them quickly before they registered for the poor boy's ears. Her brain it seemed was just too slow for the words her mouth wanted to produce.

He cocked his head to the side and stared up at her incredulously. "More than a person should ever be when considering their best friend."

---

Over the next few weeks the girl reluctantly began to wear the ears more and more often in his presence (though she did secretly suspect he had some form of cat fetish and got a sick kick out of it. It didn't bother her at all though, strangely enough). Soon, it became a fixture to her, much to the boy's delight. In return, the boy began wearing normal clothing more often, gone were the frills and (occasionally) spandex. Now, jeans became customary and t-shirts that always had some name of a band that the girl was utterly oblivious about.

"--and th-then two m-months from now when I-I graduate…are y-you paying any attention t-to what I'm saying?" The girl asked with a pout and rubbed at the cloth ears that the boy was staring at between her fingers.

"What?"

The girl sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk in the far corner of her back yard not seen from the house they were currently resting at. "Y-you keep doing this. The past couple of days you've b-been really…not present. Really out o-of it."

"I have not!" He huffed and began playing with her long hair absentmindedly, braiding and tangling it between his long fingers.

"Y-yes you have." She whispered and frowned. "What's o-on your mind?" She scooted closer until she could look up into his eyes unwaveringly. "Please t-tell me."

The boy sighed and leant back against the tree, sighing softly and breaking the eye contact. "I just can't get anything past you, can I, Kitten?" He smirked and began counting the dots on the pattern of his shoes.

"What is it?" The girl asked persistently and grabbed his face between her hands to stare at him straight in the eye. "Y-you could always tell me. Please." She added quietly and dropped her gaze shyly to his nose.

He chuckled and took the opportunity to turn his face into her palm and place a long lick against her hand, causing her to shriek and yank her hands away from him. "Alright. I suppose I can tell you." He leaned back again and adopted a dreamy look across his face. "Well, there's this girl…"

_**There's this girl.**_

For some reason, these words caused a cold hand to wrap around her heart and squeeze in a most numbing and painful manner. She could almost feel nails raking across the beating muscle in a way that made her want to double over. It was three silly words! Words as simple as those should not be having such an effect on her!

But they did.

"She's…_gorgeous_. She's so kind, and funny, and she always makes me laugh. She's so…so…extraordinary." His eyes became wide as he animatedly began describing her further; words that the girl did not hear as she curled up into a ball beside him and tried to shut everything out of her senses. To try not to _be_.

"I…I think I love her."

The bite that she took on her tongue did not hurt nearly as much the tears in the corner of eyes, the rolling in her stomach, or the ice that spread across her chest.

---

Vibrations shot up against her thigh as her phone received a text message. Taking it out and flipping open the device, the girl bit her lip hesitantly at the message that displayed itself on the screen.

**Hey. Lets go for a movie 2nite. Ur dads gone 4 the weekend anyways, rite?**

Tentatively, the girl began flitting her fingers nimbly across the buttons.

**Cant. Have 2 take care of my sister.**

Another thirty seconds later, her thigh began to vibrate again.

**Oh. OK. Want me 2 come over l8er when shes gone 2 sleep?**

Worrying her lip between her teeth, she replied with a shaky hand.

**No. She's getting 2 suspicious. Not 2nite.**

It hadn't even been fifteen seconds before the cell phone in her hand began to light up.

**Sure. How bout 2morrow? **

**Maybe.**

With that, she turned off her phone and put it away.

"Hey, come on, the movie's about to start!" A voice called across to her, the smile on the face was blindingly beautiful and friendly as she beckoned her over with a wave of her arm.

The girl smiled back and pushed away the guilt that gnawed at her.

She was allowed more than one friend, right?

---

Soon, the girl began to see very little of the boy and more of her other friend whom she had nearly neglected throughout her duration of her newfound friendship with the boy. It had little to do with the way her friend pushed back her blonde bangs from her eyes reminded me of the boy. Or that her blue eyes were almost the same colour as his too.

But it had all to do with the fact she was a coward.

---

She opened the door to her bedroom and stumbled onto her bed giggling like a fool. However, her bed seemed to have more angles and bumps than usual for some reason she found as she felt something jab into her stomach somewhat painfully. Looking up blearily, she patted down something soft and slightly angular, trying to figure out what it was.

"Yes. That is my face. And that's my nose." The figure in her bed added with slight amusement as she gave something protruding from the surface of the object she was feeling up a slight pinch.

"Wh-who are you?" She slurred and sat up to squint at the…the _thing _that was lounging on her bed.

It sat up abruptly and grabbed her face between its hands to hiss incredulously, "Are you _drunk_?"

"Drunk as a sk-skunk." She tittered and turned her face to lick a hand and bite lightly. Strangely, the hand did not move, but gripped tighter. "Hammered. Smashed. Utterly sh-shit faced."

"_Why_?"

"My fr-friend brought me to a p-party." She paused for a second to burp, then continued, "'Said I w-was too…too…sh-shy was it? Or antisocial? Anyways, sh-she brought me and--" She stopped abruptly to stare up at the face with narrowed eyes. "O-oh. It's _you_."

The boy blinked at her in surprise. "Yeah, it's me. Is there something wrong with that?"

She squirmed out of his grip on her face clumsily and glared at him. "_Yes_. Yes th-there is!"

His eyes narrowed back as he glared back and asked in a voice far too calm, "And why, may I ask?"

"Why are you _here_?" She shrieked and threw a pillow at him which he dodged easily and caught.

"To ask you why you've been avoiding me these past few week! What have I _done_?" He threw the pillow on the ground angrily with enough force to cause the girl to jump slightly.

"L-listen, I can't deal with this! I can't deal with _you_!" She cried and swung a half hearted punch at his face which he caught deftly by her wrist. "I-I'm graduating in two weeks! I have f-finals! I h-have college applications! You have to stop being here,_ just go away! _I don't want to see you _ever_!" Tears were wetting her eyelashes as the began to fall and smudge her carefully applied makeup.

"_You _listen. You're _drunk_. You need to sleep. You don't mean what you're saying." He said calmly and gripped her wrist tighter to keep her from falling.

"I do! I mean _every single w-word!_ Stop trying to text me! Stop sneaking into m-my room! _Leave me alone!_" She sobbed and managed to rip her wrist out his suddenly slackened hand to slap him hard against his cheek.

His eyes widened as he stared at her for a horribly long silent moment before they closed off with a hardened shell to stare at her coolly. "Sorry. I didn't realize how much I was bothering you. I'll go now." He turned around and climbed out of the window to land gracefully on the grassy ground below.

She collapsed onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow with hiccups that wracked her entire body until she fell into blessed sleep.

---

Quietly, the boy climbed up through the window and landed lightly on the balls of his feet as he hit the carpeted floor. Looking around quickly, he strode over to the unmoving lump curled up into a ball on the bed underneath the blankets and gave it a good shake.

"Wh-what?" It muttered blearily before rolling over and shrieking wildly as it stared up at him.

The boy stumbled backwards until he hit the wall with widened eyes as he stared at the eerily light coloured eyes and dark haired head that was staring at him in horror. Those eyes were far too light and cold to be the ones he was so familiar with and the hair was too brown to be the same head of hair he knew so well.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. Wrong room!" He scrambled back towards the window and was half way out of the room before the small, light voice stopped him.

"She's not here anymore."

He turned around to face the thirteen year old who sat up in her bed with the blankets wrapped entirely around her. "What?"

"She's gone. My sister. This was her room, yeah, but I got it when she moved out."

"_Moved out_?" He was back into the room within a heat beat, demanding answers.

"Yeah. She moved out last week after her graduation."

"She…she…" He let the information set in for a moment before asking. "Wait. Why are you so unconcerned? You should be terrified that some random guy came into your bedroom."

"You always sneak into her room when you ." She smirked as his incredulous face. "Yeah. I know. I'm not _stupid_."

"Well, where did she move then?" He asked, ignoring her last comment.

"I'm not telling you! It's none of your business!" She snarled at him and pointed at the window. "Now get out before I call my dad and he calls the cops on you!"

With that, he scrambled quickly out of the room.

---

"Okay. Yeah. Well, I've should let you go now, happy birthday." She smiled at the nails she was painting and hoped it would show in her voice. "I'll talk to you later, then, okay? Love you, sis." She took the phone out of the crook of her neck that had been holding it and clicked the end button.

She blew at the last coat of paint on her toes and leaned back against the couch, listening to the heavy pounding of rain outside. Living alone like she had for the last two years had left her slightly lonely, but slightly exhilarated to have the freedom to do as she wished, to see who she wished, and to act as she wished.

Without bothering with her still semi-wet toe nails, she got up at the sound of the doorbell ringing. Soon followed insistent knocking to which she called out, "I'm coming!"

As she opened the door, the she was almost punched in the face with the knocking fist of the person at her door who stopping in mid knock. Blinking, she took an unsteady step back and asked, "M-may I help you?"

"Um, hi…sorry for almost punching you there."

She nearly slammed the door closed as she heard the words coming from a voice all too familiar, but was stopped as a wet hand suddenly placed itself firmly on the door. "Please. Don't."

She looked up at his form that was soaked all the way through, the blond hair that was plastered against, and the eyes that stared pleadingly at her. "What are you doing here?" She whispered quietly and removed her hand from the door to wring it in the other.

"I…I…" He pursed his lips and stood up straighter, gathering up all the courage he had. "I'm sorry for whatever it did. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't find you all that soon. I'm sorry. I'm sorry it took this long to say it." He leaned against the doorjamb and murmured again, "I'm sorry."

It took far too much to stop herself from wrapping herself around him in a tight hug. Instead, she took a small step closer and stared down at his ever present Converse shoes. "It was n-never really your fault, you know, right?"

He looked up suddenly at stared at her with wide and confused eyes. "What? B…but you said it was."

She covered her face in her hands and felt like crying harder than she had for over two years suddenly. "It-it was never really your fault. It was never your fault a-at all."

"Then whose was it? He murmured and reached his hand out to grab hers, then seemed to think better of it and dropped it back at his side.

"It was…it was mine." She whispered and wished that she had spoken to him so much earlier. Wished that she wasn't a coward. "I…I hated that…that…that you found some special g-girl. I hated that you told m-me this. I hated being your best friend. I hated it because _I wasn't her_." She quickly rubbed at her eyes that were becoming too hot. "It d-doesn't matter though, because…because I don't even know you! I don't know who you are, I don't know how old you are, and I don't know your name. You don't even know me, let alone my name!"

He quickly shot out his wet hands to gently force her face to look at him. "Hinata. Your name is Hinata Hyuuga. You just turned twenty a few months ago. You hate slasher movies. You think I have cat fetish, which, I don't, I just can't get enough of you acting like one because you're cute enough that I just want to cuddle with you until you purr. You're the most ticklish right under your ribs. You love your little sister more than anything in the world.

"My name's Deidara. I love art almost more than anything in this world. I love waffles. I love slasher movies. I'm currently twenty-three."

"Wh-why wouldn't you tell me any o-of this?" She whispered and reached up to lightly hold onto his dripping wrists.

"Because…because you're beautiful. Because you're more gorgeous than you ever acknowledge. You're kind, and generous, and adorable, and are the most caring, desirable, and deserving person I know. I'm selfish, almost flat broke, a college drop out, a loser, and can't _stand _to have you know any of this. I never wanted you to find out, I never wanted you to see any of this because I didn't want you to get rid of me."

"Y-you would've still been the best friend I had ever had, regardless o-of all of this." She murmured sincerely and pushed away the drenched tendrils of hair away from his forehead.

"But I…" He gritted his teeth and stared at the wall beside him in deep frustration, "I don't want to be your best friend. I never wanted to be your best friend. I want to be everything _but _your best friend."

She dropped her hands that were still playing with his hair and her head. "Oh."

Quickly, he pushed her face back up again and brought it closer to his to stare earnestly into her eyes. "You were that girl I was talking about. You were the one I'd wanted since…since you came crying to me about the boy who pushed you. At least, that was when I realized it."

Her tears mingled with the drops of rain falling from his face as she pushed her face into his chest and clutched at his shirt with fisted hands. "You…you were th-the first to make me feel absolutely comfortable around someone. You _always _did. You march to the beat of your own drum, never giving a d-damn about what o-other people think. Y-yet, you still make the effort to wait u-up for my own drum beat t-to catch up with yours."

He held her back just as tightly, neither caring that she was beginning to soak up the moisture from his own body, and whispered against her ear, "So, would this be an appropriate time to finally kiss you?"

She looked up and pressed her lips against he corner of his mouth to whisper, "Yes, it definitely would."

And he did.

---

Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy.

The boy and girl were as opposite as could be. If one were hot, the other would be cold, or if one were day, the other, night. They were like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle not meant to fit at all, one could've found more likeness between a candle wick and an aardvark than between them.

Yet, the two found that it mattered little.

It never usually does when it comes down to boys, girls, and love.

---

**AHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA. FINISHED. Took me MONTHS. MONTHSSSS. Goodness me, the ending turned out sappy to the maximum of a sideways eight, but I'M TOO HAPPY TO GIVE A DAMN. **

**By the way, the "**Im throwing rocks at ur window. Open up**!" texting part was based off one episode in Heroes season one.**

**Not gonna lie.**

**Ciao,**

**MissLe**


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